1. Field
The present invention relates to a secondary battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a secondary battery can be repeatedly charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery which is not designed to be recharged. Low capacity batteries that use single battery cells are used as power sources for various portable small-sized electronic devices such as cellular phones, and camcorders. High power batteries that use tens of battery cells connected to each other in a battery pack are used as power sources for electric scooters, hybrid vehicles, or electric vehicles.
Secondary batteries are manufactured in various shapes such as a cylindrical shape, a pouch shape, or a prismatic shape. A secondary battery is generally constructed by forming an electrode assembly by disposing a separator as an insulator between a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, accommodating the electrode assembly in a case together with electrolyte, and installing a cap plate on the case. The electrode assembly is connected to electrode terminals, which protrude from the cap plate and are exposed to the exterior of the secondary battery.
An electrode tab of a secondary battery may be connected to a current collector, which is connected to an electrode terminal, and the electrode terminal may pass through a cap plate to then be exposed or protruded to an exterior side of the secondary battery. With this configuration, a connected portion between the current collector and the electrode tab may be damaged due to an external vibration or external mechanical shock. Accordingly, there is a need for a secondary battery having a structure for preventing or reducing damage to an electrode assembly.